The present invention relates to a device for conveying filled and empty bobbins between multi-position textile machines of different finishing stages, comprising an endless conveying rail that is common to all multi-position textile machines of different finishing stages, whereby carriers for the bobbins or bobbin tubes are conveyed along and between the multi-position textile machines on the conveying rail.
A device of the aforementioned kind is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,682. The device is used to convey full bobbins manufactured on at least one first spinning machine to at least one second spinning machine provided with a bobbin creel for a subsequent manufacturing step and to transport the empty bobbin sleeves or tubes back to the at least one first spinning machine. In this known device one single conveying rail is provided between the different machines on which the bobbins, respectively, the bobbin tube carriers, especially in the form of slides or carriages, are conveyed in the same conveying direction. The bobbin carriers are moved along the conveying rail either by hand or by providing ascending and descending rail sections in the direction of movement. In the area of ascending rail sections a motor-driven conveying unit is provided, for example, in the form of an endless conveyor, which engages the individual carriers, respectively, carrier slide and moves it in an upward direction. As soon as the individual bobbin carriers, respectively, bobbin carrier slides, have reached the elevated rail plateau, they are moved due to gravity in a downward direction within the area of the adjacent descending rail sections.
The disadvantage of this known device is that the transportation flow along the conveying rail occurs in a stepwise manner. On the one hand, in the area of the differently ascending rail sections respective independent drive units are required, while, on the other hand, it is not reliably ensured that in a uniform manner bobbin carriers, respectively, bobbin carrier carriages will pass the individual work stations of the multi-position textile machines so that a uniform servicing of the individual work stations is not ensured.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,360 a transporting and handling system for multi-position textile machines is described which comprises a plurality of rail systems which are connected to one another by switches, whereby in the area of each individual rail system an independent drive unit is provided in order to convey the movable bobbin carriers, respectively, bobbin carrier trains along the individual rail systems to the individual work stations of the multi-position textile machines. In this known device the adjacent arrangement of various conveying systems is based on the fact that simultaneous with the bobbin carrier, respectively, bobbin carrier trains at least one servicing unit for performing operating steps at individual work stations of the multi-position textile machines are provided, whereby the individual servicing units are designed to perform operating steps within the area of one of the machines of different finishing stages.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a conveying device of the aforementioned kind which ensures between multi-position textile machines of different finishing stages a direct connection with uniform conveying, respectively, operating flow such that at the stations of each multi-position textile machine of different manufacturing stages to be serviced essentially an uninterrupted flow of bobbins, respectively, bobbin tube carriers is provided.